is getting a warmer reception on wall street. >> reporter: the closing bell marked the end of a major selloff. wall street's loss of confidence in the already-shaky economy sent the dow plunging more than 500 points before finishing the day down nearly 400. many investors now believe another recession is more likely than ever. >> i think that a lot of people are just starting to realize that, you know, really, i think we're still in a bad place. and i think that is very serious to a lot of people. >> reporter: wall street was reacting to the federal reserve's latest plans to try to boost the economy. and instead they will be using about $400 billion to lower interest rates even further. hoping businesses, they will borrow more, spend more, and ultimately create more jobs. many traders don't believe it's going to work. >> that's the most important number is the jobs number and this one. >> reporter: and economist believe that the plan will be doing little to encourage the americans to spend. >> reporter: the dow is down more than 15% in just the past two months and they are now on track for their workweekly performances since the

financial crisis of 2008. >> thank you for that. and now, it is feeling a bit like deja vu on capitol hill. back to being just eight days away from a possible government shutdown as we told you earlier on in the week. the sticking points at this time around is funding for the federal emergency management agency, fema. the homeland security secretary says that right now the agencies disaster aide account is running on fume. what they don't seem to agree on is how much to put in that fund. >> disaster relief should not be tied up in any type of politics. but instead of falling last night, and doing something that is bipartisan nature of the house, they decided to try to play politics. >> i have always believed allowing the house to work their will. i understand what the risk was yesterday, but why not put the bill on the floor and to let the members speak? and they did. >> the d.c. delegate is trying to avoid problems in the city

if there is a shutdown. she has already produced a bill -- introduced a bill letting the federal government stay open, even if the federal one does not. well there's a glimmer of hope on the job front today as we learned that fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week. the 9,000-person decline is not enough to even put a small dent in the actual unemployment rate. in the meantime, president obama is back on the road today trying to drum up support for his $447 billion jobs package. that plan would devote federal funds to upgrading and repairing infrastructure projects like the 48-year-old bridge spanning kentucky and ohio, but the president chose as his backdrop for today's -- and ohio that the president chose as his backdrop for today's speech. >> if the bridge needs fixing, by all means let's fix it. but don't tell us that we need to pass a half trillion dollar stimulus bill and accept job killing tax hikes to do it. >> and now even if that bill

were to pass, there is no guarantee that that particular bridge would get the more than $2 billion in repair money they need. highway officials say right now that project is still in the preliminary evaluation stages. derek, in maryland, today a garage jury indicted nine smuggle -- grand jury indicted nine smugglers that brought 15,000 packs of illegal cigarettes into the state. the alleged crimes denied the state of maryland about $30,000 in taxes. state officials say that cigarette smuggling is a growing criminal enterprise. smugglers purchase thousands of cigarettes on the virginia side over the bridge and then cross into maryland to resell them. >> you'll find them sometimes packed up in suitcases and laundry bags, underneath quilts. we have seen some vehicles that have been remodeled to have hidden compartments in them and found quite a large load inside a fake floor in the van. >> reporter: in virginia, the tax is $0.30 on each pack, in

maryland it's $2 a pack. buying in virginia and selling in maryland could mean a hefty profit. folks in charge of addressing the world's financial issues will be meeting in soggy bottom this weekend. at the international monetary fund meeting means that some streets and special sections will -- and intersections will be closed. as well as pennsylvania avenue and h street, those restrictions will be running from tomorrow at 6:30 in the morning until sunday at 5:00 p.m. right now we want to update our breaking news we have talked about at 5:00. a woman attacked by an apparent pit bull in rockville. this happenedded in the 14,000 block of terrace street near piney branch. our scott broom has an update. >> reporter: montgomery county police tell me there was a fight on at this address between two women this afternoon when somehow a dog reportedly a pit bull got in on it and badly injuring one woman. a short time ago police and animal service officers came to this address to take custody of

the dog. the owner refused, where i'm told that the officers at this point have no authority to seize the dog, so they left after issuing a 10-day quarantine order in requiring the owner to keep the dog indoors and under control. and there are no charges and no arrests at this point. is and as for the injuries, not good. i have unconfirmed earlier information that the victim in the case had her thumb torn off by this dog and 40 to 60 lacerations on both arms and legs. police have an investigator interviewing the woman at the hospital tonight. the key question that they will try to be answering is whether or not this dog may have been used as a weapon in this fight or simply got loose somehow. in rockville, scott broom, 9news now. we all know that crimes can happen anywhere, but today metro released a list of the 10 most dangerous stations in the transit system. we sent our reporter out to look at number one. she joins us there live and

unstruck by crime. >> reporter: yeah, we have been here all day too, so that's a good thing. we're live on the top of the parking ride here at the suitland metro station. you can see that the census bureau is right behind me. this is a very busy metro station with a lot of government workers coming in and out. these parking lots are major problems for metro police. in fact, they say they trying to put some cameras in, stepping up patrols with county police, and according to their figures that they just released today, well, the stepped up patrols seem to be working. let's take a look at some of the numbers and the types of crimes happening at metro. now metro compared three months of the second quarter from last year and this year. now, you can see the numbers are down for car break-ins, stolen bikes, and robberies with a slight increase in assault. >> we're very concerned about any crime on our system, and we would love to get it back down to one, but i would have to say

when you compare this system to any system in the united states of comparable size, you'll see that our crime record is way, way low. >> reporter: now police are hoping as i mentioned to install close circuit cameras to prevent car break-ins like this from happening. we talked to this gentleman earlier this week. only on 9, his car was gutted at the largo town center stop. now, in fact, largo ranked number 3 as the most dangerous, the third most dangerous station in the metro system. right here, the suitland metro stop ranks number one. for a whole list of the top 10, check out our website, wusa9.com. derek? >> all right, thank you for that. and i'm going to step away now to focus on 9news now at 7:00. and tonight, a cop out of a job after, yeah, caught on tape. we'll find out what he did tonight at 7:00. and still to come in this half hour, a new debate is brewing over what some athletes put into their bodies.

we'll explain why some baseball teams are targeting energy drinks. topper? yeah, we have some clouds, but the showers are not far away. flood watch goes into effect tomorrow. we'll show you live doppler and looking at activity developing in through kentucky and tennessee. that's what i'm worried about tomorrow. we'll explain. but up next, thousands of americans rely on them, but some asthma inhalers are going away at the end of this year. we'll explain why.

back on 9news now. asthma patients that rely on over-the-counter medications like these will need to switch to prescription only. they are fazing out these inhalers because they contain carbons. users will have to make the

switch by the end of this year. a new survey suggests that health insurance costs will go up next year compared to recent years. and that is largely because folks are dialing back on their health care use. benefits consultant says that the cost of employer-sponsored health benefits will be rising an average of 5.4% next year compared to an increase of more than 6% this year. andrea? anita, an islamic cultural? just two blocks from the site of the destroyed world trade center opened up their doors. last night's opening featured a photography exhibit of the new york children from different ethnicities. >> you can look at the ymca or the other centers, it's pretty much the same programming that you would actually find out there that is the same programs that you would find here. >> and the building at 51 park place includes a muslim prayer place that has been open for two years. they regret not involving the families of 9/11 victims from the beginning.

still to come, just one day after drawing the ire of millions of users, facebook decides hey, we're going to make some more changes for you. a look at what's happening now is coming up. for a great vacation you can't beat mississippi. sure you can, it's called louisiana. hang on, florida's where folk's want to be. that's only until they get a taste of alabama hospitality. we can't agree on which state's best,

but we can agree on one thing, wherever you vacation in the gulf, you'll have a great time. great seafood, beautiful beaches and fun for the whole family. we've got intimate bed and breakfast right on the water. cafe's with views of the gulf. go blue water fishing, ride a kayak, or just enjoy the world's best weather and soak up the world's best sun. we've gone all out to make this year the best ever. and we are 100% open for business. you mean 100% open for fun. here in the best part of the gulf. louisiana, florida, alabama, mississippi. this could go on for a while.

new at 6:00, just one day after a less than successful facelift, facebook is making even more changes. today, the social networking site announced two new features called timeline and ticker. ceo of facebook says it allows you to store your stories in a new way. ticker will let people access contents like music, movies, tv, and news. anita? another debate over the performance enhancing substance. but this time we're talking about energy drinks like this one. low carb monster. some teams are no longer providing drinks like this one or red bull or five-hour energy in their practice areas.

many are advising players to stay away from them aling together. brittany morehouse talks to trainers and nutritioners who debate the effects. >> reporter: before he swings his racket, he takes a swig of starbucks. does he worry about dehydration? had >> no, as long as you follow it up with water. >> reporter: he's no expert, but this woman is. researchers used to believe that caffeinated drinks have a diuretic effect. that's only true if you consume a large amount, like five to seven cups of coffee a day. >> too much caffeine, they can give you the jitters,ing anxiety. >> reporter: why are they on the target list of the major league baseball teams? that's a good question. >> in small doses, caffeine is an aid that could help enhance performance. the guys take it because it increases mental functioning and alertness. >> reporter: but the personal trainer disagrees. >> there is nothing natural about energy drinks. if you can't pronounce the ingredients, don't drink it. >> reporter: you don't know how

much caffeine is in it. i can only show one that shows the amount. >> people don't recognize that there are other forms of caffeine in their products. >> reporter: at the end of the day, experts say it's like anything else, moderation and education are the key to healthy consumption or you can follow their advice here. >> we're trying to put a ban on things that could be prevented. so get sleep, get hydrated, manage your stress. >> reporter: and he promises that you'll be bursting with energy. brittany morehouse, 9news now. >> i want to learn how to do push-ups like that. all right, major league teams cannot ban the energy drinks because they are prohibited in the collective bargaining agreement, but minor league teams can. we're still waiting to hear back from the national to see if they are providing energy drinks to their players. a missing moon rock has been found among some papers belonging to the former president, bill clinton. they found it while sifting through the papers and

memorabilia collected during his time as governor of arkansas. astronauts grabbed the moon rock during the apollo 17 mission. it was later given to the state of arkansas. new information tonight about that satellite set to fall back to earth tomorrow. scientists now say that the six- ton climate satellite will not hit north america, but they are still scrambling to figure out where the pieces may hit. they expect most of it to burn up in the atmosphere, which could mean a fantastic light show in the sky. i know the satellite is not expected to hit us, but wondering if we would see it streaking across the sky? >> we could, but? >> but no, it's going to be pretty much overcast tomorrow unfortunately. your best viewing is at noon, but not a good time for us. >> youtube? >> exactly. let's talk about fall because that will be arriving tomorrow at 5:05. and what does that mean? well here is the deal. what it means is the angle and sun, the sun, that's the key to the changing climate and the

changing seasons. the angle of the season is right over the head of the equator, so it would raise your chance to be perpendicular. what that does is divide the north and south hemisphere with equal day and equal night. it doesn't quite work out that way with sunrise and sunset times because of the atmosphere that bends the light. you can find out more about that on our website at wusa9.com and check out my blog tomorrow. but 5:05 in the morning. that's when fall officially arrives. all right, we have a flash flood watch out for the eastward counties if friday morning until saturday afternoon that includes all of southern maryland that did not earlier. it does now. and here is a look at live doppler. some showers down to southern maryland, pretty light. you have been tracking the last hour or so. and this is really hammering all the earlier areas. it is now, you know, moving a little further to the south and the east, just south of 50 around chantilly. it's not very big, but a pretty intense little storm that's

straddling the 50s in the red. that's rainfall rates about an inch per hour. where will it go in the next hour? it's going to kind of meander out here in chantilly. 76 right now. 75 in manassas. very muggy out there too. 77 in fredericksburg. even 78 up in hagerstown. here's the deal, flash flood watch on friday and saturday. a few showers and storms tonight. nothing really crazy, but a wet morning commute. heavier activity late tomorrow morning. the heaviest activity is probably between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. tomorrow. so now we'll put this into motion by 6:30 in the morning, we'll see that is good enough to wet the roads, but it will be a light activity. then we'll get into 9:45, 10:00. you'll see yellows and oranges appearing north of town. and that's heavier activity. kind of continuing through the late morning and the early afternoon and then finally by 6:45, it will subside a little bit and move across the bay

area. but still, even saturday morning, we'll look for the breaks in the cloud and the light activities. we're going to improve on saturday, we're not going to be rain free over the weekend though. mostly cloudy tonight and mild with the showers and storms. low temperatures in the 60s. and now the next seven days, again, we have showers here in the forecast on is saturday -- forecast on saturday, but more sunshine. that's actually changing a gesture day. more on monday, more on tuesday, but we're warm here and we will finally dry out on wednesday and thursday next week. >> all right, good. i'm looking forward to that. >> yes. >> and we're look forward to the skins and the cowboys matchup. >> yes. and we need to wait one extra day for the big game, but that will be good news for the redskins to get a little bit of extra practice in, considering that big things happen. the adrenaline is pumping, the rivalry has heated. sometimes a little magic will be happening on the field. plus, with the nat's season winding down, find out when you can see super steve again coming up next in sports.

there's just a little something extra about dallas week that brings that excitement in. you can feel it among the redskins fans and throughout the player's locker room. even the new faces on the teams are starting to understand the rivalry that is dallas and washington. now this is the matchup on the schedule. players and coaches circle it beginning the series. they are tied 7-7 when playing on monday night. a lot at stake, a win not only puts them one step closer to sweeping the cowboys this season, but they also keep the redskins undefeated. >> it is just a huge game where it is one game at a time. you cannot really worry about monday night tonight, we need to prepare the day today and work on monday night. >> we know they will be bringing their best. during this week we're not slacking off, we're not taking any shortcuts. we're preparing for the cowboys best. >> and some of the redskins best performances in recent years has come out of dallas

week. now remember santana moss back in '05, they are down 13-0 with moss and mark brunell connecting for two t.d.'s and donovan mcnabb benched, they are getting their first start against dallas. and it was a doozie. grossman still brought his team back from a 20-point deficit, throwing for 322 yards, and four touchdowns. impressing not only fans, but his teammateses -- teammates as well. >> that was a very important game for me. and as is this, you know, it's a huge game for our team. there's a little more of a riding on this to be able to get off to a 3-0 start would be huge. >> and landry is ready to play on monday night, even comping at -- chomping out there. what betaware for the national -- what better way for

the nationals to be closing out the season. he would like him to pitch the season finale in miami against the marlins. he will also get the final home start tomorrow night. finally tonight, this is yankee's catcher in wednesday's game against the rays. you know, usually the catcher is misused for catching balls, but you'll see that fly right in and he just catches the bee that did not stand a chance on that one. and he just blows it off like there's nothing there. >> that's all for 9news now at 6:00. stay with us for the cbs evening news and derek is back at 7:00. good night everybody. >> good night.